Jokowi's Statement on KPK Law Deemed 'Hand-Washing'

Jakarta, VIVA – Member of House of Representatives Commission III Nasyirul Falah Amru, known as Gus Falah, has described former President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) approval of reverting the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law to its earlier version as a display of double standards.

According to Gus Falah, Jokowi bore responsibility as president in the enactment of Law Number 19 of 2019 concerning the Second Amendment to Law Number 30 of 2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission.

“Deflecting the issue solely onto the House of Representatives by labelling the legislature as the party that initiated the revision of Law Number 30 of 2002 constitutes ‘hand-washing’,” Gus Falah said in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Gus Falah stated that under Law Number 15 of 2019, which amended Law Number 12 of 2011 on the Formation of Legislation, the president holds the authority to deliberate on draft bills together with the House through the relevant minister, has the right to submit draft bills outside the national legislation programme (prolegnas), and coordinates government regulatory planning.

The president, he said, through government representatives also plays a role in the second stage of deliberations, namely the House plenary session.

Accordingly, he noted that Jokowi’s involvement was clearly evident on 11 September 2019, when a presidential letter was sent to the House assigning the Minister of Law and Human Rights and the Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform as government representatives to discuss the KPK Law revision.

“On 17 September 2019, during the decision-making process, the Minister of Law and Human Rights, representing the President, declared that the President approved the amendment to the KPK Law. It is therefore quite absurd for Jokowi to pass the hot potato by claiming this revision was a House initiative,” he said.

Gus Falah argued that if Jokowi had disagreed at the time, the government representatives should have been withdrawn from the deliberation process, or a government regulation in lieu of law (perppu) should have been issued, given the public dynamics at the time.

Previously, Jokowi had expressed his agreement with a proposal by former KPK Chairman Abraham Samad to revert the KPK Law to its earlier version.

Jokowi noted that the said version of the KPK Law was the result of a House initiative.

The former president said the KPK Law was revised during his presidency at the initiative of the House, but that he did not sign the revised law.